In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night

This past weekend I was at ConNooga in Chattanooga, TN, our fifth year there as a family and fan group (Fans For Christ).  The service was amazing, and I preached on faith and Green Lanterns.  Here is an excerpt from the sermon, with a modification of the GL oath....

We can look at a power ring as faith.  It’s small, has a rather insignificant appearance, and yet can be the greatest source of power in the universe with the capability to do virtually anything the wielder imagines.  Let’s look at some of these parallels.

1.       The ring focuses the wearer’s willpower.  Without strong willpower, the creations of the ring will be weak.  Faith focuses our belief.  Without strong belief, the actions of faith will be equally as weak.

2.       The ring channels willpower and energy.  It is not the source of the willpower or the energy, but merely a conduit for these things to act.  Similarly our faith is not the source of our power, but the way in which our power works through our belief.

3.       Without the ring, you have nothing.  You can have Hal Jordan’s willpower, but without the ring you can’t do as much.  Our belief in God is strong and powerful, but we much channel it through faith in order to accomplish truly amazing works.

4.       The ring can create amazing constructs that defy natural laws and can be considered impossible.  Faith can break laws of biology and physics just as easily, resulting in healing that doctors can’t explain, money that comes from unexpected sources at just the right time, and news that is better than was expected.

5.       The ring’s energy comes not from the wearer or itself, but from the main power battery on Oa.  The ring is a receiver for this energy and doesn’t actually create it.  The power in our faith doesn’t come from the faith itself, but from God.  God is our power battery, and we can do nothing without His help.  Without the Oan power battery the ring is just jewelry.  Without God, our faith is just as empty.

6.       The ring needs to be recharged every (usually every 24 hours), being placed in a small power battery to draw on the energy of the main power battery.  If we go without prayer, reading the Bible, and fellowship with Christians for too long, we will become drained of spiritual energy and will lose power in our faith.  We need to have these contacts with God daily in order to keep our faith strong.

7.       The energy and constructs of a power ring are visible for all to see, and you can’t easily hide them.  This is actually joked about in the new Justice League comic book.  When we use our faith, the power of God is evident for everyone to see.

Our faith, Biblical faith, is our own power ring.  As cool as it would be to be a Green Lantern, it’s better to be a Christian.  When Satan is attacking us as fiercely as Sinestro or Parallax, call on the power of this faith, and you will prevail.  Take your faith with you everywhere and use it regularly.

In brightest day

In blackest night

With godly faith

I join the fight.

Let Satan tremble

At Jesus’ might

The holy power

Of God’s true light.

Showing Love

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:34-40  (NIV)

How have you shown love recently?  Okay, this isn't a condemnation to anyone, but merely a reminder.  Jesus himself said that everything in the Bible and the words of God's prophets boils down to only two things:  love God, love each other.  We are called to love God with everything that we have in us.  And because we love God so much, we are supposed to love each other at least as much as we love ourself.

For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  1 John 3:11 (NIV)

How far does this love go?  Pretty far!

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  1 John 3:16 (NIV)

How do we do this?  How do we actually love each other?  By acting in the right way.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESB)

I want everyone to take these words to heart.  Love God more than you love anyone or anything else!  And love each other by not being rude, not being arrogant or boastful, acting patient, not being irritable, and treating each other as we want to be treated.  Such is God-like love, and this is how God looks at us.

Obsession With The Christian

Recently on the Facebook group for Fans For Christ there was a discussion about preachers condemning the "evils" of Pokemon.  The thread was pretty long, and I'm not going to repeat it here (join the group if you want to see that and more). But one of my good friends posted a comment that really struck me and I thought it was worth repeating.  Here are his words...

Of course, one could turn it around, and say that what we are defining as "too much God" or "obsession with the Bible" is better expressed as "not enough God" and "obsession with the Christian".

For these sorts of things seeks to answer the question "What must I do, that will make God love me?". And a second question, like the first, "What must I do, that Satan shall not conquer me?". And so preachers and teachers, most times out of compassion and care for their flock**, will search the scriptures, seeking to find The Answer which will calm the conscience.

But we tend to seek that answer solely in terms of "what I must do", or "what must I avoid", and under such terms we miss the Cross, and what Christ Himself has won for us. In our religion, we miss God and His Christ, because we tend to seek only ourselves.

"What must I do, that will make God love me?"

Nothing; he already loves you to the point of death and beyond. "Believe in Him whom He has sent." He has called you and redeemed you out of death's shadow, for His sake, for love's sake (but now I speak redundantly). So act without fear, in the perfect love already given to you.

"What must I do, that Satan shall not conquer me?"

Remember that your Lord has already conquered him; he is in great wrath, for he is a defeated enemy. "I saw Satan fall from Heaven like lightning." "And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!'" "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

This is what we should find, when we seek after God and search the scriptures: the Christ who saves us and keeps us. Who loves us in spite of ourselves, and who gives that love freely.

Silence

I was given this poem today, and it made me think of Psalm 46:10.  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 

Silence is not a lack of words.
Silence is not a lack of music.
Silence is not a lack of curses.
Silence is not a lack of screams.
Silence is not a lack of colors
or voices or bodies or whistling wind.
Silence is not a lack of anything.

Silence is resting, nestling
in every leaf of every tree,
in every root and branch.
Silence is the flower sprouting
upon the branch.

Silence is the mother singing
to her newborn babe.
Silence is the mother crying
for her stillborn babe.
Silence is the life of all
these babes, whose breath
is a breath of God.

Silence is seeing and singing praises.
Silence is the roar of ocean waves.
Silence is the sandpiper dancing
on the shore.
Silence is the vastness of a whale.
Silence is a blade of grass.

Silence is sound
And silence is silence.
Silence is love, even
the love that hides in hate.

Silence is the pompous queen
and the harlot and the pimp
hugging his purse on a crowded street.

Silence is the healer dreaming
the plant, the drummer drumming
the dream. It is the lover's
exhausted fall into sleep.
It is the call of morning birds.

Silence is God's beat tapping all hearts.

Silence is the star kissing a flower.

Silence is a word, a hope, a candle
lighting the window of home.

Silence is everything --the renewing sleep
of Earth, the purifying dream of Water,
the purifying rage of Fire, the soaring
and spiraling flight of Air. It is all
things dissolved into no-thing--Silence
is with you always.....the Presence
of I AM

Elaine Maria Upton

Pastor Or Shepherd?

My favorite TV series of all time is the tragically short-lived Firefly.  It should be no surprise that one of my favorite characters in that show was Shepherd Darius Book.  In fact, I created a sermon around this character.



However, the reason for writing today has more to do with terminology than the theology of Book.  One of the things that was unique to the series was the use of "Shepherd" rather than "Pastor" as the title for religious leaders.  At first I thought it was a very odd change.  But the more I've thought about it the more it makes sense and I really like it.

There is actually a lot of Biblical basis for the title of Shepherd.

Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.  Jeremiah 3:15

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
John 21:16

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 
Acts 20:28

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 
1 Peter 5:2

Now the word pastor is actually used in the New Testament, in Ephesians 4:11:  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers. The word itself actually does mean "shepherd", originating from the Latin pastorem.  So in essence and reality, Pastor and Shepherd mean the same thing.

The reason I prefer the title of Shepherd is because of the imagery.  When you use the word Pastor you conjure an idea of a religious leader and often a specific person.  The title is so ingrained in church history and even bureaucracy that it can seem more of an administrative term than anything else.  I have a lot of respect for many pastors I know, and many people with this designation do amazing work to help people.  But to me "pastor" has lost a little of its original meaning and impact.  It's so common that its essence has been diluted and it is often merely a word and not a source of inspiration.

Which brings me back to "shepherd".  When I hear the word I get a specific mental image of someone guiding and protecting their flock.  Combine that with the verses related to shepherds, sheep, and flocks, and I get a good idea of someone who should be leading a church or a group of believers.  I think I'd prefer to be led by a Shepherd rather than a Pastor because of what the first word seems to mean or imply.  And yes, I know that the effectiveness of the position lies in the person and not the title.  Even so, I think it might be good to change things up a bit and go back to the idea of a Shepherd.  I really doubt most church-goers know where "pastor" originates.

As a leader of Fans For Christ I have become a sort of pastor for the group.  I help organize the group, give sermons, and am looked to as a spiritual leader.  However, I don't want to be called pastor.  Instead, refer to me as "Shepherd Bern." 

Define "Christian"

Here's a question for the couple of people reading this blog...what is a "Christian"?  That's something that has been puzzling me lately.  I've seen the title of Christian be used to describe plenty of people that I think are only marginally Christian as well as those who may give lip-service to the Bible but don't actually live according to the teachings of Jesus.  So what does it really mean?

It's not as easy as many might think.  Some of my friends have defined Christian as someone who has accepted Jesus as their savior, and as the intercessor for their sins.  Technically, that is correct.  However, that rather simplistic definition includes many people that are outside of mainstream Christianity and who hold beliefs contrary to the Bible, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons.  So do we need a stricter definition?  Well, that makes sense, but who is going to write it?  The New Covenant that came with Jesus' death is supposed to free us from laws and regulations, not put us under more.  Christianity is supposed to be about freedom, not a checklist of do's and don'ts to "qualify" for heaven.

I'm still struggling with figuring it out, but I think that we should go back to the original meaning.  "Christian" was used in an almost derogatory manner and very simply means "little Christ".  To me this means that we should act like Christ.  We should be little examples of Jesus.  When someone looks at us they should be able to see Christ in us and through our actions. 

So how do we become miniatures of Jesus?  Reading and studying the Bible, especially the New Testament.  I've started a personal Bible study where I'm going through the Gospels and looking at how Jesus acted. Not what he said, but what he did.  How he treated people, when he prayed, who he hung around, and so on.  My goal is to be a little Christ, to figure out how to act like Him.  Once I learn that, then maybe I'll start to truly earn the title of Christian.

What Christmas Is All About

It's just a few days until Christmas, and of course this means many things to many people.  Presents, parties, family gatherings, shopping, Santa Claus, the birth of Jesus....  But what does it really mean?  What is Christmas really about?

The answer is rather simple, actually.  Simple enough for children to understand it and simple enough to be put in a short segment of a cartoon.  So in celebration of the season, and if you're wondering what it's all about, I give you the answer....